A running discussion on the Cincinnati Reds and everything else in the baseball universe.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Down on the Farm: Juan Francisco's Big Day

Reds' prospect Juan Francisco had the best day of his young professional career on Sunday, as he went 3-4 with 3 homeruns and drove in 7 runs for Single A Dayton. The switch hitting Francisco hit two homers from the left side and one from the right side against the Lansing Lugnuts. On the season, Francisco is batting .268/.305/.461/.765 with 21 homeruns and 80 RBIs, which is very solid production out of the 20 year old from our Latin America academies.

Francisco is an intriguing prospect, to say the least, as he's a switch hitting third baseman with good offensive potential. As he matures and fills out, his power potential should increase from its already impressive level. Not only does Francisco have good raw numbers, but so far this season he has demonstrated the ability to rise to the occasion. The more crucial the situation, the better Francisco has performed this year, so his approach at the plate has had very successful results.

Francisco is certainly opening some eyes and is one to be followed as he ascends the organizational ladder. The Reds overseas scouting efforts are beginning to bear fruit, as both Johnny Cueto and Juan Francisco were signed as international free agents. Adding these types of prospects in addition to prospects via the draft can have a substantial impact on the fortunes of a farm system. In fact, signing international prospects is vital to the building of a well stocked farm system. The efforts of the Reds' player development department finally appear to be heading in the right direction after years of ineptitude.

2 comments:

Well, if he's part of your family, you should be very proud. He's a great ballplayer and should be in Cincinnati in a couple of years. Hopefully, he has a long, productive Major League career in Cincinnati.

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Blessed (or is it cursed) to be a Reds fan. I've loved baseball as long as I can remember. Played it until they told me I couldn't anymore. Now, always thinking on it.
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